Many plant-associating fungi have a high degree of host specificity. Fungal effector proteins, which modulate plant signaling pathways to promote colonization, are hypothesized to play a role.

Mitochondrial biogenesis in plants is a complex and tightly regulated process crucial for cellular energy production, metabolic regulation, and stress responses.

RSB Director's Seminar, Professor Eduardo Eyras, EMBL Australia Group Leader, Group Leader at the John Curtin School of Medical Research ANU, Monday the 22nd of September 2025.

Rubisco activase (Rca) is the essential molecular chaperone that regulates the activity of Rubisco, the enzyme responsible for the initial step of photosynthetic carbon assimilation and providing the primary source of organic carbon on Earth.

The majority of studies into the Australian orchid flora and associated funga have thus far been narrow in scope and focused either on a macro- or microevolutionary scale. In this thesis, I studied the Australian terrestrial orchid flora and its associated funga as a unified system spanning from the macro to microevolutionary scale.

Pantothenate, a precursor of the fundamental enzyme cofactor coenzyme A (CoA), is an essential nutrient for the intraerythrocytic stage of the human malaria parasite Plasmodium falciparum.

Abiotic stresses like heat and excess sunlight perturb photosynthesis in chloroplasts and induce the accumulation of reactive oxygen species (ROS).

Twist Bioscience is a leading and rapidly growing synthetic biology and genomics company that has developed a disruptive DNA synthesis platform to industrialize the engineering of biology. The core of the platform is a proprietary technology that pioneers a new method of manufacturing synthetic DNA by “writing” DNA on a silicon chip.

Dr Allen (Zhengyu) Wen - Maize lethal necrosis (MLN) threatens food security for smallholder farmers in Sub-Saharan Africa. Our research identified two genetic solutions: a mutated peroxisomal peptidase that blocks viral invagination and a eukaryotic translation initiation factor 4E mutant that stops viral protein translation while preserving plant growth. Using gene editing, we introduced these traits into elite maize varieties. In Kenyan trials, edited lines showed complete MLN resistance with no yield loss, offering a major advance for protecting millions of farmers’ livelihoods.

Dr Thomas Vanhercke - Plant synthetic biology and metabolic engineering enable precise redesign of plant genomes for improved traits and new functions. For over 20 years, the CSIRO Synthetic Traits group has led in applying advanced genetics to oil crops. This presentation highlights omega-3 transgenic canola as a real-world example delivering health benefits and addressing global supply challenges. I’ll also outline emerging developments such as high-throughput in-planta library screening, advanced RNAi, and novel complex traits pushing plant synthetic biology’s limits.